The West Northamptonshire Health and Wellbeing Board met to discuss a range of issues including the Better Care Fund, the Ethical Migrant Worker Charter, and updates to the SEND Improvement Plan. The board was also scheduled to discuss winter preparedness and the Leicestershire, Northamptonshire, Rutland Integrated Care Board Cluster Executive Structure.

Better Care Fund

Ashley Leduc, Director of Integrated Commissioning, was scheduled to present an update on the Better Care Fund (BCF) for 2025-26. The BCF is a government initiative designed to encourage health and social care integration¹. The report pack included the Q2 submission for the BCF 2025-26, and the board was asked to approve it.

The report noted that the BCF requires Integrated Care Boards (ICBs) and local government to agree on a joint plan, which is then owned by the Health and Wellbeing Board. These plans involve using pooled budgets to support integration, governed by an agreement under Section 75 of the NHS Act 2006.

The report stated that local authorities and ICBs must demonstrate how their joint plans support improved outcomes against the fund's two principal policy objectives:

To support the shift from sickness to prevention:

• Timely, proactive and joined-up support for people with more complex health and care needs;
• Use of home adaptations and technology;
• Support for unpaid carers.

To support people living independently and the shift from hospital to home:

• Help prevent avoidable hospital admissions;
• Achieve more timely and effective discharge from acute, community and mental health hospital settings;
• Support people to recover in their own homes (or other usual place of residence);
• Reduce the proportion of people who need long-term residential or nursing home care.

The report also included updates on key metrics:

• Emergency admissions for those over 65 were reported to be on track.
• Discharge delays were not on track, with data from Northampton General Hospital (NGH) unavailable for August due to data quality issues following a transition to a new reporting tool.
• Residential and nursing admissions were above the expected level.

The report mentioned that a Trusted Assessor role had been introduced into the Transfer of Care Hub, and an Integrated Hub Programme of work was underway.

Ethical Migrant Worker Charter

Ashley Leduc, Director of Integrated Commissioning, was also scheduled to present the West Northamptonshire Ethical Migrant Worker Charter to the board. The charter was developed in response to challenges with the International Recruitment Scheme, particularly regarding the mistreatment of migrant workers.

The International Sponsorship Scheme, which ended in April 2025 for new licenses and visas, allowed health and social care workers to live and work in the UK. West Northamptonshire had 117 employers with active licenses, employing 1,314 international recruits.

The charter sets minimum standards for employer support for overseas workers, covering areas such as cultural adaptation and fair treatment by landlords. Care providers with an international sponsorship licence operating in West Northamptonshire were asked to sign the charter.

SEND Improvement Plan

Ben Pearson was scheduled to provide an update on the Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) Improvement Plan. This followed a previous update at the 3 October 2025 meeting, where the Director of Childrens Services gave a progress update on the West Northamptonshire SEND Improvement Plan and highlighted that following the OFSTED Inspection in March 2024, the Board agreed for an update to be a standing agenda item to be on SEND Partnership Progress against the Priority Action Plan. Also scheduled was a presentation from the Young People SEND Shadow Board.

Other Business

• Chris Pallot was scheduled to give a presentation on winter preparedness.
• Maria Laffan was scheduled to provide a verbal update on the Leicestershire, Northamptonshire, Rutland Integrated Care Board Cluster Executive Structure.
• The board was also scheduled to elect a Vice Chair.
• The minutes from the previous meeting on 3 October 2025 were included in the report pack.